Hanoi (VNA) – All five members of the Vietnamese team competing at the 2025 International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) bagged medals, including one gold and four silver medals, according to the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET).
With this achievement, Vietnam ranked among the top 10 countries at IPhO 2025.
Nguyen The Quan, a 12th grader from the Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted in Nghe An province, won the gold medal.
The silver medals were awarded to Ly Ba Khoi and Truong Duc Dung, both 12th-grade students at the High School for Gifted under the Vietnam National University-Hanoi, Nguyen Cong Vinh from Bac Ninh High School for the Gifted in Bac Ninh province, and Tran Le Thien Nhan from Quoc Hoc Hue High School for the Gifted in Hue city.
The 55th IPhO took place in France from July 17 to 25, drawing 406 contestants from 94 countries and territories.
The competition included two main theoretical and experimental tests, each lasting five hours.
The exam questions blended modern physics with real-world phenomena, exploring topics from hydrogen atomic structure and galactic formations to magnetic oscillations and meteorite crater formation.
A standout question focused on the physics behind champagne bubbles – linking concepts of pressure, acoustics, and viscous friction – while also offering a cultural nod to French culinary tradition.
The experimental test consisted of two complex problems requiring analytical thinking and precise measurement.
One involved the challenge of a Mars rover landing and navigating safely without getting trapped in sand dunes.
The other used a Gouy balance to measure magnetic moments, a tribute to French physicist Louis Georges Gouy, recognised for his contributions to magnetism and optics, reflecting the spirit of scientific legacy in the host country.
The closing ceremony and result announcement of the 2025 IPhO will be held at 9pm on July 24 and livestreamed on the official IPhO 2025 YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@InternationalPhysicsOlympiad25.
Vietnam first participated in the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) in 1981, achieving modest results in the early years. However, since 2001, the country has shown significant progress, with an increasing number of gold medals won.
Vietnam's best performance to date came in 2008 and 2017, when its national team secured four gold medals in both of those years. The team earned two gold and three silver medals last year.
The success of the Vietnamese team at this year's IPhO reaffirms the quality of the country’s general education system and reflects the effectiveness of its approach in identifying, selecting, and nurturing gifted and high-achieving students.
Earlier in May, all of the eight Vietnamese students attending the 2025 Asian Physics Olympiad (APhO) brought home medals, the MoET said.
Specifically, the Vietnamese students won three gold, three silver and two bronze medals at the 2025 APhO, which was held in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, from May 4-12. It attracted the participation of 208 students of 30 teams from 29 countries and territories.
Vietnam ranked among the top five countries and territories with the highest achievements, following China, the Republic of Korea, Chinese Taipei, and Russia. This year’s performance by the Vietnamese team is considered a significant improvement compared to last year, when it secured one gold, one silver, and six bronze medals./.
